If flying from LHR then you should be on a recently refurbished 767-400, which should have PTVs and the more comfortable newer seats. The older 767s are quite poor, but the refurbished ones are quite an improvement and are on par with European carriers.

The food service in DL coach tends to be quite poor in my experience - small portions and the quality is not good. I'd recommend filling up in the terminal beforehand and perhaps bringing some snacks.

Crews tend to be older and can vary in friendliness. In my experience they tend to be efficient but not overly friendly in coach (although I have had some very good crews in Business Elite).

I assume you already have the ESTA for the US? Overall the US has a more extensive entry procedure than Europe but in all it is not that bad.

I think DTW is one of the older 763ERs - meaning leather seats, decent but not great legroom and no AVOD as far as I know - not sure if they are doing the 763s or not. I know the 764s have it. It used to be an A330 route and these are the former NW birds - much nicer because they are much newer, quieter, and have better IFE.

Expect the food to be poor and of small quantity, wont be much of a choice, no amenity kit, no free alcohol, (Sodas and water etc are free) and the service to be rushed, not particularly friendly. If you want anything else you'll have to ask as it wont be offered. Call bells wont be answered normally, so a visit to the galley to ask in person is the usual way of making sure you get what you need.

Crew will probably be a bit older and more experienced than you are used to if you havent flown with DL before - on a par with UA and AA in this respect. They tend to be extremely fast in their service - they get everything squared away very quickly and then you wont see them for the remainder of the flight.

Basically if all goes well you'll have a decent flight but no better than that. Dont expect all the bells and whistles because you'll be disappointed.

If you are used to the likes of BA, VS, LX, AF, CO etc across the pond then DL will be a major let down, because they just arent in the same class. Crews get paid a lot less, benefits and pensions sliced right back, seniority rules and it shows. The likes of DL have been cutting costs and cutting costs and cutting costs since 9/11 and although I'm told they've improved a lot of late, personally, I wouldnt set foot on one of their planes again. I did one CVG and three ATL runs in 2003-2006 and they were God-awful every time. Crews brusque to the point of aggression and a real sense of "sit down shut up and leave me alone - you are lucky to be here". Not nice. If you are used to BA and VS its a real eye-opener, and not in a good way.

What do you mean you dont have any bourbon? Do you know how far it is to Houston? What kind of airline is this???

This is slightly off topic but security will be another eye-opener if you've not done it in a few years - talk about hostile.

I usually go in via IAH, LAX or EWR and in all cases its been openly hostile, aggressive questioning and they really do get in your face. It makes me feel like a criminal just standing there. You'll also have to give your fingerprints to them for them to store.

Also if you've got Jordanian, Syrian, Iranian, Pakistani or Indonesian stamps in your passport (I have, plus Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain and Oman amongst a load of others) they'll really go to town on you. You might consider getting a second passport without any stamps in it, as it will save you a lot of explaining and unpleasant questioning when you get to the passport guy.

And whatever you do - do NOT get angry back, or try to make a joke. They will eat you alive.

What do you mean you dont have any bourbon? Do you know how far it is to Houston? What kind of airline is this???

Quoting CHRISBA777ER (Reply 2):Expect the food to be poor and of small quantity, wont be much of a choice, no amenity kit, no free alcohol

I think your information may be out of date. I've flown TATL on DL a few times recently (e.g. CDG-PIT, ATL-AMS) and the food was no worse or different from other carriers. Beer or wine was included free with the meal. Flight attendants were pleasant enough, again not much different from AF, KL, CO, etc.

DL763 Y is one of the most uncomfortable and outdated products out there, a definite mid 90's vibe. If you are tall, the seat back will likely be too short and the leg room is compromised if trying to stretch out by the seat bottom construction of the seat in front. No AVOD, but the plus side is no space robbing IFE box under the seat. The long awaited upgrade will be much appreciated when it arrives. ( DL 772LR in Y is a whole different and better world)

Food, passes the OK test but it certainly won't be featured on a top 10 airline meal poll! I usually take advantage of a good restaurant in the airport before boarding and take a couple of snacks on board. I can do TATL easily like that. On board service is typical of most US airlines....BA, EK, SQ it is not! Trying to find a cabin crew member outside of the scheduled service times can be a challenge.

DTW immigration is usually quite efficient, certainly better in my experience than EWR or PHL, even if it is busy. If you are connecting in DTW you will need to pass through TSA security, take your shoes off etc. and most importantly if you have bought any liquid duty free in LHR and brought it onto the aircraft you will need to put that into your check luggage if it is over 100ml when you collect the bag at customs otherwise they will confiscate your bottle.

Quoting PITingres (Reply 4):Quoting CHRISBA777ER (Reply 2):
Expect the food to be poor and of small quantity, wont be much of a choice, no amenity kit, no free alcohol

I think your information may be out of date. I've flown TATL on DL a few times recently (e.g. CDG-PIT, ATL-AMS) and the food was no worse or different from other carriers. Beer or wine was included free with the meal. Flight attendants were pleasant enough, again not much different from AF, KL, CO, etc.

I agree with PIT; I have done several TATL legs on DL in the last couple of years (LGW, AMS, CDG to ATL, CVG, MSP) and have generally had a good experience with older but generally pleasant crews. On any large crew there are some FA's who are friendlier than others of course. The meal wasn't huge but wasn't awful, and there was free beer and wine in coach for the duration of the flight. The FA's did their service promptly, but did come back throughout the flight (less during the night crossing of course.)

Quoting CHRISBA777ER (Reply 5):Quoting PITingres (Reply 4):
Beer or wine was included free with the meal.

Yeah but thats one beer - Its an eight hour flight! What happens if you want a post-dinner G&T or a whiskey? Or a JD & coke to accompany your iPad movie?

Quoting LMML 14/32 (Thread starter):Next week I will be flying Delta for the first time - DL005 LHR-DTW B764 - This will also be my first B767 flight.

It is a 764; it has very good IFE and seatback entertainment throughout the cabin. Seats are OK, if traveling with someone else the set of two (window/aisle) are very good; doesn't much really matter where, though I would just as soon not be all the way in the back of that plane. I do not especially enjoy flying the 767 as a pilot, but as a passenger the 2-3-2 coach configuration is excellent.

Quoting CHRISBA777ER (Reply 2):I think DTW is one of the older 763ERs - meaning leather seats, decent but not great legroom and no AVOD as far as I know - not sure if they are doing the 763s or not. I know the 764s have it. It used to be an A330 route and these are the former NW birds - much nicer because they are much newer, quieter, and have better IFE.

It's a 764, like the OP specified in first line of his post. You certainly get no argument that the A-330 is a better aircraft from me, but it's not a 763 either.

Quoting BD338 (Reply 6):DL763 Y is one of the most uncomfortable and outdated products out there, a definite mid 90's vibe.

In that case I apologise to DL - i didnt realise they had brought back free booze in coach, or indeed that he was on the 764ER - which is, as previous posters have observed, an order of magnitude nicer in coach than their 763ERs, which were what I was on when i flew them last.

Do they have a snack stand in Y on the 764s like they do on the 77Ls? THAT is a nice idea.

In all seriousness its good to see the American carriers (other than CO who have always been very good in my experience) start to get their act together and close the gap a bit on the european majors. I took US in C earlier this year across the pond and was very impressed indeed - seemed very similar product to VS Upper Class and NZ business as well. Wasnt expecting the soft product to be as good as it was either - heard awful things about US and was very pleasantly surprised.

Trying AA in Y LHR-JFK next month after a six year hiatus and will be interested to see if they have free booze all flight in Y, or have AVOD in every seat.

What do you mean you dont have any bourbon? Do you know how far it is to Houston? What kind of airline is this???

Just searched on DL's website for LHR-JFK. I looked at #149 and scrolled over the personal TV icon. It said, "In-Flight services and amenities may vary and are subject to change. Requires payment by credit card for activation." Do you really have to pay on DL for IFE?!

"Everyone writing for the Telegraph knows that the way to grab eyeballs is with Ryanair and/or sex."

Quoting CHRISBA777ER (Reply 8):I didnt realise they brought back free drinks throughout the flight - thats a very positive step.

Does a JD & coke count as a cocktail?

Don't get too excited. The beer and wine are typically only served with meals, and the rest of the drink runs tend to be water-only. It's definitely not going to be an open bar. The beer is typically a US domestic which is standard, but the wine is served from boxed containers, not even real bottles!

I found the service to be very standard. I flew the old 767 last year MSP-CDG and CDG-CVG. While the flight attendants were very kind, there was nothing extraordinary about the service/amenities. Compared to my experience the previous year with Air Canada, DL scores way lower.

Either way, I hope you enjoy your flights. As any a.netter knows, just being able to fly in any airplane is 90% of the fun!

Quoting rwSEA (Reply 14):Don't get too excited. The beer and wine are typically only served with meals, and the rest of the drink runs tend to be water-only. It's definitely not going to be an open bar.

They do carry water through the cabin between services; you can ask for beer or wine at any time. Just because they aren't holding it doesn't mean you can't get it by asking.